Celtics at Knicks
The Boston Celtics are in a four-team battle for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs and face a foe they can’t overlook on Friday in the host New York Knicks. Boston is battling the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets for that final spot and has defeated the Knicks twice in three meetings this season. New York has lost five straight games and 12 of 14 and owns the worst record in the NBA.
Nobody was expecting Boston to be in the middle of a postseason push early in the season but here the Celtics are in the hunt with 11 games remaining. “An 82-game season requires a lot of resilience,” Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters. “We had stretches where we were beaten down, especially coming off last year, and the players had every reason not to be resilient. But they have been and they deserve a lot of credit for that.” New York’s next loss will match the franchise record for most defeats in a season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (31-40): Point guard Isaiah Thomas is hoping his second outing back from a back injury that sidelined him eight games goes much better than his first. Thomas had just four points in 20 minutes and turned over the ball over three times while missing all three of his free-throw attempts, but also took responsibility for the lackluster effort. “There’s no excuses, I have to play better,” Thomas told reporters. “I’m my biggest critic. I have to come out and play better, offensively and defensively.”
ABOUT THE KNICKS (14-58): Guard Alexey Shved is likely lost for the season with a fractured rib, further depleting the New York roster. Shved was hurt in last Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors but the injury didn’t seem serious and the fracture was discovered on Wednesday. Shved was a relative bright spot for the struggling team by averaging 14.8 points in 26 games since being acquired from the Houston Rockets.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Boston SG Evan Turner had the first triple-double of his career (10 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) in a 115-94 trouncing of the Knicks on Feb. 25.
2. New York SG Tim Hardaway Jr. (wrist) is questionable and could miss his seventh straight game.
3. Celtics PG Marcus Smart is 5-of-20 shooting over his last three games.